John Bernard Croak
Encyclopedia
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(1892 – August 8, 1918) was a soldier in the Canadian Army during the First World War, and a recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest award of the British Commonwealth for gallantry "in the face of the enemy".
Details
Croak was born in Little BayLittle Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Little Bay is a town located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Its current population is about 166 people. It is located in Green Bay, which is part of Notre Dame Bay, which is located in the central part of Newfoundland and Labrador...
, Newfoundland, on May 18, 1892 to James and Cecelia Croak. The family moved to Glace Bay, Nova Scotia when Croak was two years old. He attended school there and then began work as a coal miner.
Croak enlisted in the military in 1915. He was a private
Private (rank)
A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...
in the 13th (Royal Highlanders of Canada) Battalion
13th Battalion, CEF
The 13th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was an active service battalion during the First World War....
, Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
. On August 8, 1918 at Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Croak performed a deed which earned him the Victoria Cross. He was wounded in the act, and died shortly thereafter at the age of only 26.
Citation
Further information
Grave/memorial at Buried at Hangard Wood British Cemetery, France. 12m SW of Albert. Plot I. Row A. Grave 9. Headstone.In Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, where John Bernard Croak grew up, there is a school, a park and a Royal Canadian Legion branch named in his honour.
The medal
John Bernard Croak's medals are held by The Army Museum, located on the second floor of the Cavalier Block in the Halifax Citadel Defence Complex, HalifaxHalifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada.
External links
- JOHN BERNARD CROAK (service/personal details, citation, relevant documents, burial information)
- short citation
- Legion Magazine article on John Bernard Croak
- Find-A-Grave profile for John Bernard Croak
- Croak's Medals at the Canadian War Museum
- John Bernard Croak V.C. Memorial School info page
- John Bernard Croak V.C. Memorial School official page from Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board site